Plunger-operating mechanism



March 30 1926.

. cs. c. WILKINSON ET AL PLUNGER OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 25, 1921Patented Mar. 30, 1926.

. 1,579,110 UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFICE.

' GUY G. WILKINSON AND MEAD HEDGLON, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS'IO SYRACUSE WASHING MACHINE CORPORATION; OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A

CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PLUNGER-OPERATING MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that we, GUY G. WILKINSON and MEAD HEDGLON, citizens of theUnited States, and residents of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, inthe State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements inPlunger-Operating Mecha nism, of which the following, taken inconnection with the vaccompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to a plunger operating mechanism for washingmachines, of

the general type disclosed in patent to Zuill- No. 1,021,498 embodying avertically reciprocating plunger that imparts desired movements to thevacuum cup devices of the machine.

The main object of this invention is to provide mechanism for deliveringpower to the piston in a straight line conformingto the axis of thepiston. This feature has many advantages in that it eliminates sidethrusts from. the bearings in which the piston is operating, and evenpermits the use of the slngle bearing for the piston, should that be.desirable. l

Other objects relate more specifically to the arrangement andconstruction of the mechanism for eflecting straight-line movement ofthe piston such as simplification of the mechanism by the elimination ofusually required parts, such as forinstance, equalizing devices, etc. K

Further, our invention provides an apparatus of simple construction andoperation that is more easily assembled than those heretofore used andthat eliminates prac-- tically all danger of the mechanism becoming outof alignment after being properly assembled.

Other objects and advantages relate v to the details of construction andform ofthe mechanism, all as will more fully appear from the followingdescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is an elevation of the mechanism of our invention. q

Figures .2 and 3- are diagrammatic illustrations of the mechanism indifi'erent operative positions.

For the purpose of illustrating our invention, we have indicated a frame1 which may be of any form and construction, pref erably from someportion ,of which mechanism hereinafter described is supported.

its'upper end upon pin '3- carried by or' formed in connection with theframe 1 of the machine. The main lever or walking beam L of thepiston-operating Inechanism is hinged or pivoted at one end upon the pin5 formed at 'the lower end of the swinging leg 2, and the opposite endof the lever 4 is formed with a yoke, the opposite walls 6- of which areformed with openings or journals for receiving respective trunnions 7egitending at oppositesides of a trunnion block 8- mounted on the lowerend of the piston 9 of the washing machine. Any suitable mechanism maybe provided for securing the walls 6' in proper position with respect tothe trunnions 7. actuated. for the purpose of reciprocating piston '9'bymeans of arpltman -10. mounted at its lower end upon a pin "11 formed inconnection with the main lever 4 and at its upper end upon a pin -l2-formed in connection with a crank-arm 13-4 rigidly mounted upon the 14of the washing machine.

It will be obviousthat as the main shaft 14 rotates the'pin 12- willtravel as indicated in dotted line, Figure 1, carrying with it the upperend of the pitman 10-, thereby moving the main lever,4- about its pivot"5., to raise and lower the plunger '-9. For the purpose of causing themain lever 4.- to deliver power to the piston or plunger -9- in astraightline conforming substantially to the axis of main shaft theplunger, a radiusbar 15 is rovided having one endfipivotally mounte upona pin -16 which may be rigidly carried from any part of the machige sothat it remains in stationary position during the end of the radius bar15- is pivotally connected to the main lever 4 in any suitable mannerand as shown,'one of the The main lever '4.- is

operation of the mechanism. The opposite m members, as for instance theradius bar 15 is provided with a pin 17 extending through the othermember to'provide such a pivotal connection. n

It will be obvious from the disclosure that as the main shaft -14rotates, carrying with it the crank-arm 13 and "pitman 1G that the mainlever 4 will be raised and lowered to raise and lower the piston orplunger 9, and that as the main lever is raised and lowered, it will becaused to reciprocate by means of radius bar 15 to an extent sufficientto cause the application of power to the plunger 9 to be in a straightline conforming to the axis of the plunger. This movement of the mainlever 4- is ermitted by reason of the fact that its p vot 5 is upon aleg 2 that is free to swing about the pin ,3 carried in .a stationarymanner. by the main frame" the pivotal pin 5 for the'lever A is adaptedto swing toward and from the plunger in substantially the samehori'zo'ntal plane as that ,of the pivotal stud 16 for the radius bar-15-- while the throw of the crank arm 13, which is connected to thelever 4- by of the pitman 10- is made to rock the lever -4-; upon itsfulcrum -5 equal distances above and below the horizontal plane of theaxis of the pivotal stud 16 of the radius barw15.

This radius bar 15- extends from its pivotal stud 16- toward the fulcrum5 of the lever 4- and is pivoted to said lever at 17 between the pivots5 and -11 and therefore, its pivotal pin 17 will travel throu h avertical arc equal distances above an below the horizontai plane of theaxis of the pivotal stud 16 as the lever and plunger 9 carried therebyare moved vertically by the crank arm 13- and pitman 10.

The length of the radius bar 15- depends upon tl1e-throw of the crankarm 13 and therefore, upon the movement of the lever --4- from oneextreme position to another but is made to conform to the changingposition of the pivot 5- with the link 2- under the condition that thepiunger 9 is moved rectilinearly of its axis. For example, asuming thatthe plunger 9 is moved rectilinearly of its axis from the position shownin Figure 1, it is evident that as the adjacent end "of the lever 4approaches the horizontal plane its opposite end connected to the lowerend of the link 2- will be moved afshort distance to the right, and asthe lvercontinues to move to its extreme upward limit,

- p the pivot 5 will be returned to its starting position through thesame distance and it 18 this amount of movement of the pivot means 7 -5which determines radial length of the bar l5 which is proportionate tothe length and angular movement of the lever 7 That is, the arc ofmovement of the pivot- 7 ai pin 17- ofthe radius bar 15 which ifulcrumed at 16 in the horizontal plane of the pivot 5 is (if suchradius as to cause the pivotal pin 7 to travel rectilin'early of theaxis of the plunger 9 it 7 being understood that the middle ordinates ofthe arcs of movement of the pivotal pins 17- and 7 are alsoproportionate in that the middle ordinate of the arc of movement of thepin :17corresponds to the 8 .tween the pivot l7 and the trunnions Thelower end of the link 2 carrying l7and the pivot of the walls 6 of 9 theyoke end of the lever, permitting eliicient operation with considerableeconomy of space and material.

specific Iconstrhction of mechanism and a particular form andarrangement of the parts thereof, as illustrative of a perhaps preferredembodiment of our invention, we do not desire to limit ourselves to thedetails i of form, construction or arrangement of the mechanism, asvarious changes may be made without departing from the invention as setforth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A plunger operating mechanism com- 1 prising in combination with avertically movable plunger, a walking beam fulcrumed at one end topermit longitudinal movement of the beam and having its other endoperatively connected to the plunger, a rotary no driving elementmovable about a fixed axis above the intermediate portion of the walkingbeam, a pitman having one end eccentrically pivotedto the drivingelement and its other end pivotally connected to the intermediateportion of the walking beam for rocking said beam upon its fulcrum andthereby reciprocating the plunger, and a radius rod having one endpivoted to swing about a fixed axis in the vertical plane of and belowthe axis of the driving element and its other end pivotally connected tothe walking beam between the fulcrum of said beam and the pivotalconnection of the pitman with the beam.

2. A. plunger operating mechanism comprisin in combination with avertically movab e plunger, an upright link having its upper end pivotedto swing about a fixed Although we have shown and described a axis, aWalking beam having one end fulcrumed on the lower end of the link andits other end pivotally connected to the plunger for reciprocating thesame, a rotary driving element movable abouta fixed axis between thelink and plunger and above the intermediate portion of the walking beam,a pitman having one end e'coentrieally pivoted to the driving elementand its other pivoted to the intermediate portion of the walking beamfor rocking said beam upon its fulcrum, and a radius bar having one endpivoted to swing about a fixed axis in the vertical plane of and belowthe axis of the driving element and its other end pivotally connected tothe Walking beam be- It tweenthe pitman and link.

In Witness whereof'we have hereunto set our hands this 19th day ofOctober, 1921. GUY O. WILKINSON.

I MEAD Q"; i DGLON.

